ArXiv · 2026
We demonstrate efficient electron doping of exfoliated MoS₂ through the deposition of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) molecules onto its surface. Raman spectroscopy reveals a pronounced softening of the optical A_1g phonon mode after NHC deposition, consistent with electron transfer from the NHC molecules to the MoS₂ layers. The largest phonon-energy shifts are observed in monolayer and bilayer flakes whereas changes in bulk-like MoS₂ are negligible, indicating that the doping efficiency depends on the number of layers. This thickness dependence highlights the dominant role of interfacial charge transfer at the NHC/MoS₂ interface. Quantitative analysis of the Raman modes of as-exfoliated and NHC-covered MoS₂, together with comparison with literature values, allows us to estimate an increase in the two-dimensional electron density of about two-orders of magnitude in MoS₂ mono- and bilayers. These results demonstrate that NHC-based surface deposition is a promising approach for chemically tuning the carrier density of semiconducting transition-metal dichalcogenides and provide a potential route toward molecularly tunable two-dimensional electronic devices, in which, analogous to modulation doping, the donors reside outside the semiconductor lattice.
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